This was a pretty pleasant little swim. It was really spread out, so there wasn't so much knocking about. Knowing that the Athenas and Clydesdaddys were in the wave behind me kept me motoring. Those cats could crush me like a bug.

I need to put in more training time if I'm going to progress back to Ironman level.

Forgot my silly number, but didn't need it until the run, really. I was a bit confused, and it seemed less complicated than I remember in the past. Nice to keep this under 2 minutes, anyway.

Stopping for a pizza would have been nice.

The hill for the climb was unbelievably steep. Should have brought pitons and a rope. Several folks were walking their bikes up the thing, and I wasn't moving much faster than they were.

On the way down there was a 35mph speed limit. I made it past the first sign, reading 33mph, but at the police officers with radar guns at the bottom, I think my cateye read 36mph. So, if I'm DQ'd for this infraction, it will be something of a badge of honor to say that I completed the race, but was disqualified for going too fast. Anyway, I was certainly trying to stay under the limit, and it was close, so we'll see....

This just in: I have official times. So I guess they decided that the old goat wasn't going to fast. I feel like a rebel....

I would have checked the cateye earlier, making sure that I was under the speed limit coming down the hill. I would have ridden the rest of the course much faster, and I should have brought my own energy drink on the bike rather than just my water.

Had a bit of trouble finding my parking space, and again changed into running gear while a bit confused. Having a background with a solid education, I managed to figure it all out, but I almost decided to run with a helmet on. Still, it was under 2 minutes, which is fine.

I drank some of the warm gatorade that they gave me, and it came back to haunt me. I would skip that next time around.

Grabbed a water at mile 2 and dumped it on my head. It had been kept just above freezing, and I nearly leapt out of my skin. This was now far enough in the race that I could feel like a monster passing the occasional little old ladies (60's and even 70's written on their calves). In reality, these triathletes amaze me and I greatly admire them.

The Gatorade from the bike decided to come back as heartburn, and when I wouldn't let it loose in that direction, it tried to head out the other way and my stomach started to blow up. This course sure didn't lend itself to taking relief, so I pounded the last two miles in some pain, keeping all potential exits for the Gatorade tightly closed. Not a fast run, but decent enough after swimming and biking, I suppose.

Skip the Gatorade. Could have gone faster, but probably wouldn't have been the best idea.

Volunteers tossed ice-cold "Finishers" towels (interestingly sponsored by some sort of brain clinic) on us. Then off to the happy food line for a chicken burrito, salad, banana, watermelon, and Diet Pepsi.

After munching, watched the Pro Men and Women come in on their bikes and run, which was simply amazing. What a great way to finish a triathlon; watching people who really know what they're doing simply fly by.


A number of things:

1) I haven't trained aggressively leading up to this.
2) Police officers with radar guns.
3) One big, hairy, nasty hill.
4) I'm old.


This really has to be one of the greatest Triathlons in the country. From hot-air balloons and sky-divers, to an amazing course with 1600 competitors cruising through safely in waves, to the exciting conclusion featuring some of the top professionals in the sport... what's not to love? Barry's running an event here that really should set the standard by which these things are measured. It was nothing short of amazing.